Krakow in one day: What to see and do

So you are going to one of the most beautiful and most visited Polish cities and only have 24 hours to spend there. How much can you see in Krakow in one day? You will be happy to hear that you can actually see a lot! Krakow is not a big city and even in such a limited time, you can easily explore it on foot. If you are not planning to leave the historical part there is no need to use public transport. The distances between all the places listed below are around 15-20 minutes walking. And besides, walking in Krakow is a part of the experience because the city can boast of having some amazing architecture.

If you are short on time, I would suggest you pick one of these options to explore the city:

Free walking tours are a great way to get to know the city especially if your time and/or budget are limited. There are few different companies providing free tours in Krakow. Some of them offer only Old Town tours, other also have Jewish Quarter or Communism tours. The duration of tours is normally 2-3 hours and they start few times a day so you can even do two different tours in one day if you like. During the walking tour, you can hear a lot of information and see Krakow in one day. If you are interested in history and culture or just want to meet like-minded people, these tours are the right choice for you.

Explore on your own.

If you don’t like tours, you want to have enough time to take photos or you just prefer to be your own boss instead of following the group, skip the tour and take a stroll on your own. As I said, Krakow is quite a compact city and you definitely won’t get lost. The downside is that you won’t hear all the history that is behind those beautiful buildings and might miss some interesting facts that Internet doesn’t tell. But well, you can always come back if you like Krakow after the first time 😉

Now, where should you start your day in Krakow?

Most of the Krakow’s tourist attractions are located in the medieval Old Town (Stare Miasto).

The central point of the Old Town is the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny). This huge square is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe. It is surrounded by beautiful historic houses with restaurants, cafes, and shops. The Main Square is the heart of Krakow’s life and this is where you will find a Christmas market in December. The number of other events and celebrations also take place on the square throughout the year so check if something interesting is happening when you are there.

The buildings on the Main Market Square

Without even leaving theMain Square you can take a look at the three of the Krakow’s famous landmarks:

the Cloth Hall

the St. Mary Basilica

and the Town Hall Tower.

Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

The center of the Main Market Square is dominated by the Cloth Hall. This beautiful renaissance building was once a center of international trade. Now you will find different stalls selling traditional and not so traditional goods in the main arcade. There is also Sukiennice Museum on the upper floor with a collection of Polish paintings and sculptures from the 19th century.

Cloth Hall

Town Hall Tower (Wieżaratuszowa)

The Hall Tower was a part of the old Krakow Town Hall until it was pulled down in the early 19th century. This 70-meter-tall tower shares one similarity with the Tower of Pisa but I bet you might not even notice it until someone tells you (at least I didn’t). The tower leans just 55 centimeters since 1703 when the strong wind caused its tilt. From April to September the Town Hall Tower is open to the visitors and you can climb the steps all the way up for the view of Krakow.

Town Hall Tower

St. Mary’s Basilica (Kościół Mariacki)

The St. Mary’s Basilica with its two towers of different heights is probably one of the most recognizable Polish churches. First built in 1220 it was later destroyed and rebuilt in Gothic style. The church has one entrance for tourists where you have to pay for the ticket and another one for prayers only where you enter for free. Note that the church is totally closed to tourists during the mass. During the warm season, you can also climb one of the towers for the view of Krakow. For more useful information visit the official website.

Wawel Hill is located just 10-15 minutes walking from the main square. What is often referred to just as “Wawel” is the complex that consists of the Wawel Cathedral and Wawel Royal Castle. You could easily spend the whole day in Wawel, so if you have only one day in Krakow, choose the activities that are the most interesting for you.

Wawel Royal Castle

The Castle holds a number of different exhibitions and each of them needs a separate ticket. Check the official website to decide what you want to see. Note that there might be a long line in front of ticket office and tickets are issued for specific entrance times. You can easily spend a couple of hours exploring the exhibitions, so skip the exhibitions and simply walk around the castle if you only have one day in Krakow.

Wawel Cathedral

Even if you are not going to visit the exhibitions, don’t miss a chance to see the Wawel Cathedral from inside. The entrance to the church is free, you only need to buy additional tickets if you want to see the Royal Tombs and the Cathedral Museum.

Jewish Quarter Kazimierz

In Kazimierz

If you still have time, be sure to visit the old Jewish District. This part of Krakow was an independent town once. Later Kazimierz became a Jewish Quarter and is now a trendy district with lots of bars and cafes. Take a chance to try some traditional Polish drinks and food there.

Do you know some other fun activities to do in Krakow in one day?

Krakow in one day: What to see and do was last modified: July 5th, 2018 by Uliana

17 comments

Hi Uliana! We have been there just few weeks ago, and yes, for just one day! The market was full of little Christmas stands and it looked just lovely.But next time I’ll keep to your post!
Anyway, I wanted to let you know, that I have nominated you for a Blogger Recognition Award (https://katecooksthings.wordpress.com/2017/01/28/blogger-recognition-award/) Must be this time of the year with these awards 🙂 I hope you’ll accept it.

Haven’t visited Krakow for 22 years (I was heavily pregnant, but that’s another story!) and it’s good to see it hasn’t lost any of its charm. Spent many happy hours sipping sparkling water in the main square (it was an extraordinarily hot summer) and I’d recommend spending longer in the city if possible, but you clearly managed to see almost everything in a short space of time 🙂

This is a great resource for anyone who’s short on time. We loved Krakow, and we’re lucky to spend 3 days there. I’d suggest to anyone going, try and get out to Auschwitz and Birkenau, it’s an unforgettable experience and extremely poignant.

I’d never thought much of Krakow before, but your post makes it looks like one of those quaint little towns that I’d like to visit with my boyfriend! With an AirBnb with a fireplace haha 🙂 It looks so cute in the winter, I bet it’s even better in the summertime. Loved this!

I would actually prefer to go in summer if I had an option 😀 IT was -10 in January when I went there.
I am always freezing in winter, so all cities are better in summer haha
Although an AirBnb with a fireplace could make winter trip a little more pleasant))

Oh, Krakow, is it one of the popular destinations from my home country Ukraine. I haven’t been to Poland ever since my somewhat negative experience in Warsaw, which had nothing to do with the city, but rather my own body being tired of hitchhiking few days in a row. Maybe I am ready to embrace Poland again 🙂

About Me

Hi! I'm Uliana,

Ukrainian girl curious about the world. I love to learn new things and share my experience, from food to travel and wellness. I currently live in Germany and write about life in Germany from the expat prospective.